Long Distance friendship

Why it stinks and why it's worth it.

In life we all have people who we tenderly refer to as some of our greatest friends. These companions have seen every side of us, have stuck with us through the good, the bad and the downright ugly, and have supported us no matter the circumstance. These friends push us to be the best version of ourselves possible, and make us feel so lucky to have found them and to have felt their impacts. It seems that the majority of the people who make me feel this way live close by, whether it's down the street or two towns over. But, my very best friend, the person I rely on most, lives on the other side of the country. Written down, this fact seems absurd. How can someone be best friends with a person they only see once or twice a year? How do they play a role in someone's life when they aren't there? And most importantly, how the heck do these friends manage to preserve relations?

These are the questions I've been faced with throughout the past few years. And yes, I will honestly affirm that it is quite difficult to not have my best friend living within a ten mile radius of me. It seems that no other confidant I have can compare to the one that isn't here. No one provides the same advice, produces the same reactions, or has a similar personality to her. And yes, I do feel like a part of me is missing when we aren't together. She understands me on a deeper level than most people, and she is so close to me that I see her as a sister.

However, just because she isn't physically with me, her presence is still felt. We have learned to adapt to our distance, and we partake in many things that make us feel like we're a part of each other's lives. Here are some ways that we stay involved:

1. We text all day
Yes you read that sentence correctly. We text each other from the moment we wake up to the final second before we go to sleep. We text in between classes, while doing homework, at parties, anytime and anyplace. This is how we stay updated on everything that we face throughout the day.

2. The usual call/FaceTime
Thank God for the Iphone. When we are free at the end of a long day we will typically FaceTime for about an hour, reliving our daily embarrassing and interesting moments and then talking about everything from the season premiere of The Bachelor to a new chocolate cake recipe. If I have big news or something crazy happens to me, the first thing I'll do is call my best friend and fill her in on it. Phone calls are for occurrences during the day and FaceTime is for nights that we have the time and reception to do so.

3. Monthly care packages
I think this is something that makes my friendship a little bit unique. Every month myself or my friend packs up a FedEx box filled with little trinkets and ships them to the recipients house. When something that I think she would like catches my eye, I purchase it and prepare to send it to her when it's my month to mail a package. For example, this month I sent a bath bomb from Lush, a charcoal gray beanie, two bottles of nail polish, a coin purse, and some cute socks. All of these inexpensive items add a little surprised to each month and keep us close to each other's hearts.


I will be the first to admit that having a very close friend living a long distance away isn't the simplest endeavor. But, upholding a sense of closeness is far from impossible. In fact, the ability of maintaining a relationship sheds light on how true that friendship is. It is easy to lose touch with the people who are out of sight, but if they are kept in mind then you know you've found a true friend.
I hope this post provides reassurance to those who are worried about the prospect of distance causing of a fizzled-out friendship!


Photo found on Pinterest